Catholic News

Vatican dicastery sets 'moral threhold' for limit global warming (Vatican Press Office)The Vatican’s dicastery for Integral Human Development has said that limiting global warming to 1.5º centigrade per year is a “critical physical threshold,” and a moral and religious threshold as well. Meeting that 1.5º figure, the dicastery says—in a statement timed for the anniversary of the papal encyclical Laudato Si’—is “the last chance to save all those countries and many millions of vulnerable people who live in coastal regions.”

Michigan prosecutors arrest five priests on abuse charges (WWJ)Acting on tips submitted to a special hotline, prosecutors in Michigan have announced felony charges against five priest and ex-priests. Four of the suspects have been arrested; the fifth is now living in India, and Michigan authorities are seeking his extradition.

Irish bishops issue statement on divorce referendum (Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference)The referendum seeks to expedite divorce; the Irish bishops said that “the common good would be better served by supporting and resourcing couples and families in preparation for, and during, marriage ... We believe that the incidence of marriage breakdown and divorce could be reduced through the introduction of socio-economic policies which support the family and through long-term education strategies which promote values such as fidelity and commitment. While this would cost money, the human and economic cost of breakdown and divorce, both for the couple and for their children, is a far greater cost.”

Arsonist firebombs Christian television network's Jerusalem studio (AP)Daystar is a Dallas-based evangelical Protestant network. “We thank God that there were no casualties and urge the authorities to open serious investigation into this criminal act and to bring criminals to justice as soon as possible,” the Assembly of the Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land said in a statement.

Flood of Venezuelan refugees creating crisis in Latin America (Fides)Colombia’s foreign minister, Carlos Holmes Trujillo, reports that 1.3 million refugees from Venezuela have reached his country since the crisis in Venezuela began, and another 60,000 pour into Colombia every day. With the exodus “out of control,” he says, the migration is now the most dramatic in South American history.

Iraqi archbishop makes urgent appeal to UK Foreign Secretary (Aid to the Church in Need)Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil appealed for assistance to Iraqi Christians whose homes were devastated by ISIS. “With [the] notable exception of Hungary, Western governments had failed to match words of sympathy with action and reported slow progress in the task of rebuilding schools and medical care, and declining security,” according to the report.

Catholic leaders in Holy Land: '2-state solution' no longer realistic hope (ANSA)The Catholic leaders of the Holy Land have issued a statement decrying the “permanent situation of war, hatred, and death,” and saying that discussion of a “two-state solution” has produced no progress toward a lasting peace. They called for a new approach to emphasize that “Israelis and Palestinians are brothers and sisters in humanity.”

European nationalists complacent when it comes to abortion (C-FAM)“European nationalist parties have tended to sound pro-life and pro-family in order to gain power, but they have been unwilling to put an end to international European advocacy for abortion and LGBT rights,” writes Stefano Gennarini, vice president for legal studies at the Center for Family and Human Rights.

US bishops' chairman applauds states that have passed pro-life legislation (USCCB)Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City (Kansas), chairman of the US bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said that “the trend of states passing pro-life legislation is a very encouraging move toward ensuring that our society cherishes unborn children and their most basic right to life ... As we celebrate these pro-life legislative victories, we reiterate our commitment to supporting all mothers with the care and resources they need.”